Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s planned move of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to Northern Virginia is officially dead.
The City of Alexandria released a statement on Wednesday outlining that negotiations for the Potomac Yard Entertainment District have ceased and will not continue.
The City of Alexandria has ended negotiations related to the Potomac Yard Entertainment District opportunity and the proposal will not move forward.https://t.co/lnldwErjOh
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) March 27, 2024
“City leaders believed the Potomac Yard Entertainment District opportunity was worthy of community discussion and Council consideration,” the statement reads. “We negotiated a framework for this opportunity in good faith and participated in the process in Richmond in a way that preserved our integrity. We trusted this process and are disappointed in what occurred between the Governor and General Assembly.”
The proposed deal, which would have seen the two teams move into Alexandria by 2027, drowned in the Virginia state government. State senator L. Louise Lucas, chair of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee, said in February that the bill with the funding plans for the giant complex would not move forward as she was concerned.
Lucas put the majority of the blame at Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s feet, citing his arrogance and lack of desire to involve key lawmakers at the beginning of the arena talks.
After the state’s House included the arena plan in their budget but the Senate did not, the final decision was left up to a committee of 12 lawmakers in which Lucas is an influential voice. The committee then released their compromise and none of the proposed language regarding the arena made it into the final budget, effectively killing the legislation.
“As Monumental announces today they are staying in Washington DC we are celebrating in Virginia that we avoided the Monumental Disaster!” Lucas tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “Thank you to everyone who stood with us in this fight.”
As Monumental announces today they are staying in Washington DC we are celebrating in Virginia that we avoided the Monumental Disaster! Thank you to everyone who stood with us in this fight! pic.twitter.com/bBvKjLFPXO
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) March 27, 2024
The Washington Post added that Youngkin was expected to eventually revisit the arena plan in mid-April when he gets the chance to consider an amendment that would have put the plans back in the budget or created a whole new standalone bill.
Both paths would have required support from a majority in both Democrat-controlled chambers to win passage and Youngkin has little cross-aisle capital to spend.
“He can try the kamikaze route if he wishes,” Senator Mamie E. Locke (D) said. “My mind isn’t going to change as a result.”
According to the Baltimore Banner, after the Virginia assembly gave a loud and clear “no” to the plans, Leonsis spoke to Maryland Governor Wes Moore about the possibility of a move to a site in Maryland. Ultimately, that move was deemed unlikely as well with only weeks remaining in the legislative session.
According to The Washington Post, MSE is expected to announce that they have reached an agreement with the city of DC to keep their clubs playing at Capital One Arena. The new deal would see both teams stay in DC through the year 2050 under a new lease agreement.
